A car belonging to the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was hit by protesters on Thursday.
The incident took place outside a campaign event in Grinnell, Iowa, according to The Associated Press.
Ramaswamy campaign representative Tricia McLaughlin said no one was in the vehicle when it was hit and no one was injured.
Two protesters, aged 22 and 26, rammed their vehicle into @VivekGRamaswamy’s car as he visited Saints Rest Coffee House in Grinnell, Iowa on Thursday.
The 2024 presidential hopeful is not hurt and was not in the car at the time of the incident. pic.twitter.com/witPOe9uj1
— Katelyn Caralle (@Katelyn_Caralle) October 5, 2023
Police were called to the scene and the campaign filed a police report.
“Things clearly escalated,” McLaughlin said. “[Ramaswamy] is used to dealing with protesters and handled it very calmly. So he was maybe a little more calm about it than the rest of us.”
According to Fox News, the driver of the car and a passenger had been swearing at Ramaswamy, blaring the car horn and giving him the middle finger.
The car, a Honda Civic, drove off after slamming into the rear end of Ramaswamy’s parked SUV. “The campaign could not definitively say whether it was intentional,” Fox reported.
Ramaswamy posted about the incident on X.
“Had a civil exchange with protestors today, right before two of them then got into their car & rammed it into ours. Those two should be held accountable, but the rest of the peaceful protestors shouldn’t be tarred by the behavior of two bad actors,” he said.
WARNING: The following video contains language that some viewers may find offensive.
Had a civil exchange with protestors today, right before two of them then got into their car & rammed it into ours. Those two should be held accountable, but the rest of the peaceful protestors shouldn’t be tarred by the behavior of two bad actors. https://t.co/AePWupLDEj
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 5, 2023
Protesters called Ramaswamy an “a**hole” and told him to “protect trans kids.” Another asked him, “What’s it like being the punching bag of the [Republican National Committee]?”
“The RNC’s corrupt,” Ramaswamy responded. “I think both political parties are pretty corrupt.”
The candidate also spoke with one protester who told him, “My mom’s a public school worker and she deserves to be paid and respected!”
“I think every person deserves to be respected but we are failing to do right by our kids in this country,” Ramaswamy said. “Our achievement gap versus other countries is bad and we’re all in that together.
“But here’s what I will say: The beauty of this country is that you all have the right to express your opinions and you’re doing it peacefully. And even though I disagree with you, I’m proud of you for expressing your views,” he said as the protester talked over him.
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